eet 
     
    
   
   
    
     More Letters! 
     
    
   
   
    
     In Defence of Jim Lai 
     
    
   
   
    
     On Tuesday morning, 
     
     October 2Ist, the embar- 
     
     rassing incident concerning the 
     
     offensive material in the 
     
     October 16 issue of The Gem 
     
     was made public over the CBC. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Regarding the letter titled “In 
     
     defense of Jim Lai”: 
     
    

    
     I checked with the Gem staff 
     
     to see if indeed any members 
     
     were consulted in the decision 
     
     to print the offensive material 
     
     included in the October 16, 
     
     1986 issue of the Gem. 
     
    

    
     Several staff members 
     
     indicated that they had offered 
     
     to assist Mr. Lai in the as- 
     
     sembling of the paper, but he 
     
     had told them that everything 
     
     was under control. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I myself, the production 
     
     editor, was not notified that a 
     
     layout session would be taking 
     
     place on the 14 October; I was 
     
     informed after the fact that the 
     
     paper had been sent to the 
     
    
   
   
    
     The CBC story put the blame 
     
     squarely on the shoulders of 
     
     Mr. Lai. 
     
    
   
   
    
     This was not improper, since 
     
     Mr. Lai had the ultimate re- 
     
    
   
   
    
     printer. 
     
    

    
     I had no input whatsoever, 
     
     nor did any of the other staff 
     
     members. 
     
    

    
     I agree that there should be 
     
     collective decision-making in 
     
     setting the editorial policy of 
     
     individual papers within the 
     
     general guidelines provided by 
     
     CUP. To that end, I am 
     
     endeavouring to consult the 
     
     staff — before the paper goes to 
     
     print — for their views on the 
     
     material which has been 
     
     submitted for that week’s issue, 
     
     so that their input is taken into 
     
     account in the decision-making 
     
     process. 
     
    

    
     Sincerely 
     
     Lori Anne Heckbert 
     
     Editor 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Editor: 3 
     
    

    
     In response to the furor 
     
     surrounding the contents of the 
     
     October 16th edition of The 
     
     Gem, I was moved to write a 
     
     letter to the then-editor en- 
     
     couraging him to perserve in 
     
     the face of attacks.on him and 
     
     his policy. 
     
    

    
     At that time, given the facts I 
     
     was aware of, I felt I was 
     
     justified in doing so. 
     
    

    
     Since the, however, new facts 
     
     have surfaced which substan- 
     
     tially altered my opinion on 
     
     this issue. When I wrote that 
     
     letter, I was under the 
     
     impression that the editor fixed 
     
     his own policy. I now know 
     
     that to be untrue and thus the 
     
     entire basis of my previous 
     
     letter is invalid. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Given that there already 
     
     existed an editorial policy that 
     
     specifically prohibited the 
     
     publication of material under 
     
     question, and that the editor 
     
     acted in a manner contrary to 
     
     the stated policy, I must now 
     
     agree that the attacks levelled 
     
     at him were justified. 
     
    

    
     While I remain a determined 
     
     advocate of freedom of the 
     
     press, I feel that the fully re- 
     
     vealed facts in this specific case 
     
     leaves me no choice’ but to 
     
     reverse my previous position. 
     
    

    
     Mr. Lai seriously erred in 
     
     this case and his resignation 
     
     was a logical conclusion. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Gordon Stewart 
     
     Education Senior 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     sponsibility for the paper’s 
     
     content. 
     
    

    
     However, was. he the only 
     
     member of The Gem staff to see 
     
     and pass the article ‘““‘Why Beer 
     
     is Better Than Some Women?” 
     
     I doubt this is the case. 
     
    

    
     To my knowledge, there are 
     
     approximately six women who 
     
     work on the Gem staff. Did any 
     
     of the rest of the staff object to 
     
     the degrading article? 
     
    

    
     I am certain that there is 
     
     collective editorial input when 
     
    
   
   
    
     66 
     
    
   
   
    
     like it when it rains ... because no-one can tell that I’m crying. 
     
    
   
   
    
     a weekly newspaper is 
     
     published. There is also a 
     
     collective responsibility. 
     
    

    
     If there were no objections, 
     
     or, if Mr. Lai was pressured to 
     
     print the article by other staff 
     
     members, then Jim is being 
     
     made the scapegoat for other 
     
     people’s demented attitudes. 
     
    

    
     Jim Lai did the mature and 
     
     proper thing when he resigned 
     
     over the issue. The “buck” 
     
     stops at the editor’s desk when 
     
     it comes to content. 
     
    
   
   
    
     However, unless the better 
     
     judgement of other staff 
     
     members was overruled by Mr. 
     
     Lai, then more apologies to the 
     
     student body are in order. 
     
    

    
     Without a published 
     
     apology, signed by these staff 
     
     members who saw and did not 
     
     object to the article, then I fee! 
     
     the students will not be able to 
     
     regain confidence in the staff of 
     
     this year’s Gem. 
     
    

    
     Signed 
     
     Ian Hogg 
     
    
   
   
    
     99 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     STOP THE Tea oe 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     REMEMBER THE WORLD'S FORGOTTEN CHILDREN .. . 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     AND GIVE 
     
     TO UNICEF THIS 
     
     HALLOWE’EN 
     
    
   
   
    
     @) UNICEF 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     HOME, SWEET HOME! 
     
    
   
   
    
     DEBBIE HABA 4 
     
     GOOD PLAN! 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     THEORETICALLY, DR. 
     
     SNEER CAN'T GET 
     
     US BOTH AT ONCE! 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     WHEN HE DOES, I'LL 
     
     FIND OUT WHERE HES 
     
    
   
   
    
     HIDING! THEN T'LL 
     
     TAKE HIM OUT OF 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     BUT I WON'T HAVE 
     
     TO WORRY ABOUT THAT 
     
     FOR A WHILE YET! 
     
     SS a 
     
    

    
     PNOT EVEN 
     
    

    
     DR SNEER 
     
    

    
     MOVES THAT